Strategic design, political, and cultural
February 24th 2014
Notes module 2
Strategic design, political, and cultural
3 blind men n the elephant
Our own schema – ongoing with experience, outdated or resistant to change
Strategic design- look at how the flow of task or information is designed, how people r sorted into roles, m2-10
-looking at and understanding the organization (m2-13)
Political- power and influences divided
Cultural-how history has shaped the assumptions and meaning of people
Dynacorp- always had a functional structure but now experiencing prblm
-strategic design perspective on organization
Strategic grouping, linking, and alignment
After reading the Strategic Lens and the Dynacorp case, please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. If you were on the Dynacorp task force, what would be your first choice for an alternative design? What would be your second choice?
2. Which of the problems of the current design would your chosen design address? What problems (if any) would it not address? Are there new problems to which it might lead?
3. What linking and alignment mechanisms would you propose to make the “grouping” of your first choice of design more effective?
After reading the Political Lens, prepare answers to the following questions:
1. Think about the organizations in which you have worked. Who were the most powerful individuals and groups, and why? Come to class prepared to discuss this issue.
2. Think about your own class. Who are the individuals or groups that have the strongest influence, and why? What are the key indicators of influence?
Come to class prepared to play the role you have received in the previous class. You will be asked to try to reach a decision on the proposed Executive Information System in your task force. The handouts give you directions for how to complete this assignment.
Week 5 Content
•
Pre-class assignment: Cultural lens
After becoming familiar with the cultural lens on
Notes module 2
Strategic design, political, and cultural
3 blind men n the elephant
Our own schema – ongoing with experience, outdated or resistant to change
Strategic design- look at how the flow of task or information is designed, how people r sorted into roles, m2-10
-looking at and understanding the organization (m2-13)
Political- power and influences divided
Cultural-how history has shaped the assumptions and meaning of people
Dynacorp- always had a functional structure but now experiencing prblm
-strategic design perspective on organization
Strategic grouping, linking, and alignment
After reading the Strategic Lens and the Dynacorp case, please come to class prepared to discuss the following questions:
1. If you were on the Dynacorp task force, what would be your first choice for an alternative design? What would be your second choice?
2. Which of the problems of the current design would your chosen design address? What problems (if any) would it not address? Are there new problems to which it might lead?
3. What linking and alignment mechanisms would you propose to make the “grouping” of your first choice of design more effective?
After reading the Political Lens, prepare answers to the following questions:
1. Think about the organizations in which you have worked. Who were the most powerful individuals and groups, and why? Come to class prepared to discuss this issue.
2. Think about your own class. Who are the individuals or groups that have the strongest influence, and why? What are the key indicators of influence?
Come to class prepared to play the role you have received in the previous class. You will be asked to try to reach a decision on the proposed Executive Information System in your task force. The handouts give you directions for how to complete this assignment.
Week 5 Content
•
Pre-class assignment: Cultural lens
After becoming familiar with the cultural lens on